Incubator



L.. A. WILSON June 20; 1933.

INCUBATOR Filed April 29,. 1929 INVENTOR ze/m /60/7 A'TTORNEY PatentedJune 20, 1933 UNITED STATES LELAND A. WILSON, F MERRIAM, KANSASINCUBATOR Application filed April 29, 1929. Serial No. 359,065.

My invention relates to incubators and more particularly to supports forincubator housings, the principal objects of the invention being toretain the housing in a tilted position, and to facilitate therepositioning of a housing for readjusting the positions of the eggs.

In ordinary incubating practice, a housing is adapted for support infixed position and the eggs must be turned at frequent intervals by handor by manipulation of trays to promote the incubating process, and thehousing must be opened, with consequent hazard of cooling the eggs, forthis purpose. A particular object of my invention is to provide fortipping the housing to effect the repositioning of the eggs so that theeggs and egg trays need not be touched during the incubating process,and the eggs need not be exposed to atmosphere.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which areillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of an incubator constructed in accordancewith my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section from front to back illustrating the incubator in onetipped position, an alternative position being shown in dotted lines.

Referring in detail to the drawing:

1 designates generally a housing including front and rear walls 2 and 3forming a chamber 4 in which are slats 5 secured to the housing toreceive trays 6 on which eggs 7 may be positioned.

Heating elements 8 are mounted in the housing and a water pan 9 issupported in the chamber adjacent the bottom thereof. A door 10 isprovided in the front wall 2.

My invention relates particularly to a housing support comprisingrockers 11 which may be integral with the end walls and having loweredges including arcuate middle portions 12 limited to the middle portionof the casing and flat end portions projecting beyond the sides of thecasing to engage a supporting surface whereby the housingmay be tippedor tilted in one or another direction.

In order to limit the rocking movement of the support and retain thehousing in a desired tilted position, I limit the arcuate edges andmount adjustable stop elements generally designated 13 on the outerfaces of the rockers at opposite sides of the apices of the rockers. hestops comprise brackets including tubular sockets 15, and pins 16siidable in the sockets and adapted to extend beyond the arcuate edgesof the rockers and to be latched in extended position. The stops may beof ordinary construction such as those used for latching a door in aselected position, the pins having ears 17 whereby the conventionalratchet-like latch may be operated. J i

In. using the device the housing will normally be supported in verticalposition due to the balancing of the housing on the rockers. The housingmay be tilted, for example to the left in Fig. 2, the latches on theleft hand side of the rockers viewed from the front yielding and beingretracted into their socketlike supports. The rockers are stopped andretained by engagement of the flat face portions with the floor, and thestops on the left hand side are then latched in extended positionprojecting from the edges of the rockers, 30 so that the stops willengage the floor and prevent the return of the housing to verticalposition. .The eggs will thus be tipped due to their close assembly inthe trays and if they are loosely supported in the trays they 35 willtend to roll to assume new positions.

hen it is desired to turn the eggs the stop members which engage thefloor are released and the housing tilted in the other direction,whereupon the eggs are turned and assume new positions with reference tothe horizontal floor and may roll if loosely arranged on the trays as isthe case with the majority of the eggs shown in the drawings.

When the housing is thus tilted to the desired new position, theopposite stops are operated and latched in projecting position to engagethe floor and prevent return of the rockers and housing from the newposition.

The housing therefore need not be opened 1109 for turning the eggs, andsince the eggs may be turned without handling, they may be arranged onend, and a larger number may thus be assembled on a tray.

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, a casing, means for tiltablysupporting the casing including a'rocker provided with an arcuate floorengaging face having its center portion located midway of the Width ofthe casing and having a flat end portion to engage the fioor forstopping tilting movement of the casing in one direction, and meansoperable adjacent said free end portion for preventing tilting movementof the support in the opposite direction.

2. In a device of the character described, a casing, means for tiltablysupporting the casing including arocker provided with an arcuate floorengaging portion having its center arranged midway of the width of theeasing and having a fiat end portion to engage the floor to stop tiltingmovement of the easing in one direction and a stop member mounted onsaid rocker including means projectible beyond the arcuate face portionat a point adjacent said fiat end portion to engage the floor, and meansengaging said projectible means to retain the said means in floorengaging position.

3. In an incubator, a casing, means for supporting the casing includingrockers arranged transversely of the casing to tiltably support the sameand including middle portions having arcuate floor engaging faceslimited to the middle portion of the casing and end portions having flatfaces extending tangentially from the ends of the arcuate facessubstantial distances beyond the sides of the casing, stop members,means for movably mounting the stop members on said middle portion ofone of the rockers adjacent said flat faced end portions to be projectedbeyond the arcuate face of said rocker, and means for retaining the stopmembers in projected position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LELAND A. WILSON.

